Liverpool's Pursuit of Diomande Slips Away: Pulisic as an Alternative?
Liverpool’s pursuit of one of Europe’s brightest young wingers is slipping away, and a familiar Anfield figure has wasted no time in pointing towards a different path.
Diomande drifts towards Paris
Yan Diomande, the 19-year-old RB Leipzig sensation lighting up the 2026 World Cup with Ivory Coast, had been Liverpool’s marquee attacking target for the summer. The club tested Leipzig’s resolve with a bid worth $113.9 million — $91.1m up front and $22.8m in add-ons — a clear statement that they saw him as a long-term pillar of the next great Anfield forward line.
Leipzig said no. Diomande, it now seems, has done the same.
Reports on Sunday revealed that the winger’s preferred destination is Paris Saint-Germain, the reigning European champions, and that he has already agreed a five-year deal in principle to move to the French capital. The deal is not done yet, but the direction of travel is obvious.
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has opened direct talks with Leipzig and is described as confident that an agreement will be reached. Once the two clubs settle on a fee, Diomande’s move will be rubber-stamped and Liverpool’s primary attacking plan for the window will be officially dead.
Backup list in place – and a legend’s twist
Liverpool have not been caught cold. A shortlist of alternatives is already in motion, with four names identified as potential solutions out wide.
- Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh
- Cologne’s Said El Mala
- Lille’s Matias Fernandez-Pardo
- West Ham’s Crysencio Summerville
are all under consideration, according to previous reporting from The Athletic. Different profiles, different stages of development, but all viewed as players who could grow into major roles.
Robbie Fowler, though, has thrown a very different name into the conversation.
“Plenty of rumours about as to who's going to @LFC. One name I've not seen mentioned is Pulisic,” the Liverpool legend wrote on X. “Good age, played in the Prem, exciting player, I'd take him, potentially a Salah type of pathway, thoughts?”
It was a short post, but it cut straight to the heart of what many Liverpool supporters crave: a wide forward with proven pedigree, not just potential.
Pulisic’s profile: proven, hungry, and available?
Christian Pulisic is in the middle of a pivotal summer. He is leading the United States at a World Cup on home soil, having played in two of three group games to help Mauricio Pochettino’s side top Group D and reach the knockouts. On the international stage, his status is long established. At club level, his situation is more delicate.
The 27-year-old plays for AC Milan in Serie A, where he has rebuilt his reputation after an uneven four-year spell at Chelsea. In England, he made 98 Premier League appearances between 2019 and 2023, scoring 20 goals and offering flashes of genuine star quality without ever quite nailing down an undisputed starting role.
His numbers in 2025/26 tell part of the story. Pulisic has 10 goals and 4 assists, solid but not as explosive as Diomande’s 13 goals and 10 assists. The raw output may not match Liverpool’s original target, but the American’s ability is not in doubt, and his career has often suggested there is still another level to unlock in the right system.
This is not a new link either. As recently as February, Liverpool were reported to be among several Premier League clubs to have made contact with Pulisic’s entourage about a possible return to England. Crucially, his contract situation at Milan adds fuel to the speculation.
Pulisic has just one year left on his current deal at San Siro. TEAMtalk reports that he is disappointed not to have been approached over a new contract that reflects his status as one of Serie A’s standout attackers. That silence from Milan has prompted his representatives to gauge interest from English clubs.
Milan do hold an option to extend his contract by a further 12 months, a safety net that gives them leverage. But there is a financial reality at play. With his value high and a World Cup platform potentially boosting it further, this summer may be the perfect time for the Italian club to cash in on the former Borussia Dortmund winger.
A Salah-style route back to England?
Fowler’s comparison was deliberate. Mohamed Salah arrived at Liverpool with Premier League experience that had not fully convinced everyone, only to explode into a record-breaking force under the right manager and in the right structure.
Pulisic’s story is not identical, but the echoes are there: a winger who knows the league, has grown abroad, and might be ready to return with sharper edges and a point to prove.
Liverpool now stand at an intriguing crossroads. The Diomande chase looks destined to end with the teenager in Parisian blue. The club’s recruitment team have younger, emerging options lined up. And in the background, a 27-year-old American, entering his prime, sits in contract limbo at one of Europe’s giants.
If Liverpool decide that they want more than potential on the flanks, and if Milan decide that this is the moment to sell, Fowler’s suggestion might not stay hypothetical for long.
